Chelsea Clinton weds at New York estate

People wait for a bus to depart the Delamater Inn to go to Chelsea Clinton's and Marc Mezvinsky's wedding in Rhinebeck, N.Y., on Saturday, July 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

AP

People take photos before boarding a bus at the Delamatar Inn before departing for Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky's wedding in Rhinebeck, N.Y., on Saturday, July 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

AP

Designer Vera Wang stands outside a restaurant in Rhinebeck, N.Y., on Saturday, July 31, 2010. Chelsea Clinton and fiance Marc Mezvinsky are expected to be married in Rhinebeck today. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

AP

In this photo provided by Genevieve de Manio Photography, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky are seen during their wedding, Saturday, July 31, 2010 in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Chelsea Clinton wed her longtime boyfriend under extraordinary security at an elegant Hudson River estate late Saturday. (AP Photo/Genevieve de Manio ) NO SALES

AP

In this photo provided by Genevieve de Manio Photography, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky are seen during their wedding, Saturday, July 31, 2010 in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Chelsea Clinton wed her longtime boyfriend under extraordinary security at an elegant Hudson River estate late Saturday. (AP Photo/Genevieve de Manio ) NO SALES

AP

This photo released by Genevieve de Manio Photography shows Marc Mezvinsky,left with his new mother-in-law Hillary Rodham Clinton, his bride Chelsea and father-in-law former President Bill Clinton after the couples wedding Saturday July 31, 2010 in Rhinebeck,N.Y. (AP Photo/Genevieve de Manio Photography,Barbara Kinney)**NO SALES**

The Associated Press

Posted July 31, 2010, at 8:01 p.m.

RHINEBECK, N.Y. — Chelsea Clinton married her longtime boyfriend Saturday night at an estate along New York’s Hudson River.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced in a statement that their daughter wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky after weeks of secrecy and buildup that had celebrity watchers flocking to the small village of Rhinebeck for the evening nuptials.

“Today, we watched with great pride and overwhelming emotion as Chelsea and Marc wed in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts, surrounded by family and their close friends,” the Clintons said. “We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together, and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family. On behalf of the newlyweds, we want to give special thanks to the people of Rhinebeck for welcoming us and to everyone for their well-wishes on this special day.”

Chelsea Clinton, wearing a strapless white gown with a full skirt and silver beading around the waist and carrying a bouquet of white flowers, was escorted down the aisle by her father. The former president and the groom wore dark suits, while the mother of the bride wore a fuchsia dress.

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The event was the culmination of weeks of secrecy and buildup that drew onlookers to the small village of Rhinebeck, 90 miles north of New York City.

It is estimated that hundreds of guests gathered at the historic estate near the end of a near-perfect summer day of warm temperatures, blue skies and cottony clouds. The ceremony was conducted by a rabbi and a reverend as Chelsea Clinton is Methodist and Mezvinsky is Jewish, and included a poem by Leo Marks titled, “The Life That I Have,” according to the family.

Officials restricted airspace over the estate, and the area will remain a no-fly zone until 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Roads were also blocked off, and inconvenienced neighbors were soothed with a complimentary bottle of wine.

Some of the celebrities spotted in Rhinebeck for the event included actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, fashion designer Vera Wang and Madeleine Albright, who was secretary of state during Bill Clinton’s second term as president.

The wedding took place at Astor Courts, a secluded estate along the Hudson River built as a Beaux Arts style playground for John Jacob Astor IV more than a century ago. The estate features the sort of commanding view that once inspired Hudson River School painters, as well as 50 acres of buffer space to shield the party from prying eyes.

Chelsea Clinton and Mezvinsky were friends as teenagers in Washington, and both attended Stanford University. They now live in New York, where Mezvinsky works at G3 Capital, a Manhattan hedge fund. Mezvinsky worked previously at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker.

Clinton completed her master’s degree in public health earlier this year at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Mezvinsky is a son of former U.S. Reps. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky of Pennsylvania and Ed Mezvinsky of Iowa, longtime friends of the Clintons. His parents are divorced.